By Daniel Paiz

It was the best of times in the third quarter, it was the worst of times in the fourth quarter. However, Aaron Gordon saves a critical Game 4 Nuggets win with a slam dunk right as time expired. What a game.

Nikola Jokic had an impressive 36 points, 21 rebounds, and eight assists to lead Denver. Christian Braun had his breakout game of the series with 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two BIG blocks in the third quarter. The Kansas standout kept getting inside to putback missed shots and caused LA some difficulty tonight. Michael Porter Jr. also had a solid 17 points for his own bounce-back performance.

The series is now tied 2-2 and heads back to Denver for Game 5 on Tuesday, 4/29.

Game 4 Recap

Denver came out and shot better, played better defense, and delivered what was missing in Game 3: effort. The first quarter especially consisted of getting second-chance points thanks to offensive rebounding. This is a point that this writer and others often earn glazed looks for, but rebounding will determine games and series. The Nuggets outrebounded the Clippers 47-43 and had 11 of their 12 offensive rebounds coming from Jokic, Gordon, and Braun. That combined with defensive pressure rattled LA just enough.

The second quarter was consistent, and the third quarter was the pinnacle of what Denver can do. The fourth was a reminder of why Denver was down in the series and had lost some close games this season. Effort ended up saving the day, and hopefully Gordon’s heroics shift momentum back to altitude.

Key Moments

Christian Braun’s impact in this series had been lacking with single digit outputs and portions of the game where he seemed to not be involved at all. That changed tonight with both his offensive output but also his hustle. Braun’s calling card is getting after it on both ends of the ball, and he did just that. LA in fact got chippy about it around halftime, and Jokic made it known that wouldn’t be excused:

I can understand LA fans booing the ref’s decision there in terms of cheering for their home team; however, objectively the refs made exactly the right call for all six players. This is weird agreeing with the refs fully on something. But they got it right because this is playoff basketball.

Harden tried to sell the foul call like he always does. Braun didn’t back down because he’s playing hard and that’s what you do this time of year. Jokic came in to back up his teammate, and I’m not sure why Harden thought he’d bark at Jokic when he’s shorter than Braun, let alone the Nuggets big fella. Norman Powell and Kris Dunn usually get involved in extracurricular activities so it’s not surprising they got involved. Aaron Gordon is like Braun in that he plays hard and was there to stand up for his guys too.

This is what playoff basketball should look like. Caring about the outcome and the efforts you and your teammates are putting in. Thankfully the refs understood both teams are fighting to get another game closer to Round Two.

The power of effort led Gordon to this game winning slam dunk. Ivica Zubac was guarding Jokic, so LA really didn’t have anyone else to matchup with Gordon in the paint. Kawhi Leonard went to help Zubac pressure Jokic, so LA left themselves open for this sequence. It’s not surprising to not have planned for this situation, especially when the best player in the league is taking the last shot. It just goes to show how important situational awareness is, as Harden had no chance of boxing out both Gordon and Braun.

Keys to Game 5

While Nuggets fans rightfully celebrate the buzzer beating win, the players have to avoid another fourth quarter meltdown. Both LA’s players and fans seemed to have given up on Game 4 until the last few minutes when LA rallied to cut the lead to single digits. Denver can’t rely on another buzzer beater for their next home game.

The defense has to return to what it was in the first quarter, and effort is paramount. It’s understandable how tired players get. When there’s a chance to keep the momentum though, there has to be some digging to keep things from slipping away. Nobody on the Clippers had a consistently exceptional evening offensively. Leonard had a breakout 14-point fourth quarter output, but prior to that had 10 points in three quarters. Rebounding and defensive hassling must resume in Game 5.

If Denver can set and dictate the pace, there’s no reason they can’t regain the series lead Tuesday night.

Bonus Content

Episode 4 of Mile High Recap with Plumas Poetic is right below: